[london] The Rainham volcano: a waste dump is constantly on fire in east London. Why will no one stop it? … The appalling history of an ilegal waste dump and the toxic underground fires that resulted. ‘At the beginning of 2012, after complaints from Rainham residents, the Environment Agency commissioned an engineering company to assess Arnolds Field for contamination. The company dug 35 pits, each about 4 metres deep. They found landfill waste – including mattresses and pieces of furniture – at each one. They didn’t find any hazardous waste, but there were elevated levels of lead and benzo(a)pyrene, a potent chemical that causes cancer, in the soil – a sign that something toxic might have been buried elsewhere on site. (McClenaghan, the local fire department commander, believes that in some places the waste reaches 12 metres – about four storeys – below the ground, well out of reach of the 2012 survey.) The engineering company noted that the land was so warm that it melted the winter snow.’
The Toxic Waste Dump Volcano in East London
This entry was posted on Friday, October 3rd, 2025 at 9:06 am and is filed under Crime, Life, London.
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